Banning smartphones from school? What a brilliant idea | Catherine Price

New York's governor backs a plan to remove smartphones from the classroom. Here are some suggestions for how it might work

On Thursday, Kathy Hochul, the New York governor, announced plans to sponsor legislation that would ban smartphones in schools as part of her broader effort to protect children from technology's negative effects. She intends to introduce the bill later this year so that it can be considered during New York's next legislative session, which begins in January.

Hochul's announcement should come as welcome news to anyone concerned about the effects of smartphones and social media on students' attention spans, relationships, learning and mental health. However, given that it could be more than a year before the bill goes into effect - provided it's passed to begin with - caregivers and school administrators may be wondering what they can do to shield their children from technology's worst traits now.

Catherine Price is the writer of the Guardian's Reclaim Your Brain" email newsletter series. She's also the founder of Screen/Life Balance and the author of How to Break Up With Your Phone and the How to Feel Alive Substack newsletter, for which she's compiled a collection of resources about kids, smartphones and social media